Paper Contents
Abstract
Islamic architecture has long incorporated passive cooling techniques and sustainable materials. This paper surveys key traditional strategies windcatchers (wind towers), high thermal mass, courtyard designs, mashrabiya screens, and vegetationwater features that historically made buildings comfortable in hot climates. By grouping these eco-architectural elements, we show how they work (e.g. wind towers drive ventilation, thick adobe walls store and release heat, courtyards shade and channel breezes, latticed screens filter light, and garden ponds evaporatively cool) with examples from Persia (Yazd), Mughal India (charbagh gardens), Moorish Spain (Alhambra), and North Africa (riads). These methods achieved multi- functional design (structural, thermal, and social) without energy input. Their revival can reduce modern energy use and honor cultural heritage. Keywords: Islamic architecture, passive cooling, windcatcher, thermal mass, courtyard, mashrabiya, sustainable design.
Copyright
Copyright © 2025 Syed Afazil Husain . This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License.
